Officials Repeatedly Extort Money from a Disabled Army Veteran during His Daughter's Imprisonment

2011-01-25

Ms. Qi Lei, 30, is a teacher at the Lu Town No. 1 Elementary School, Junan County, Shandong Province. At around 4:00 p.m. on February 23rd, 2010, she was arrested by officers from the Chengdong Police Station in Shandong Province outside the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) school as she was talking with people about Falun Gong and how the Chinese Communist Party has slandered Falun Gong. After Ms. Qi was taken to the Linyi City Detention Centre in Shandong Province, the officials started to intimidate, deceive and extort money from her family. Ms. Qi's father is a disabled army veteran, confined to a wheelchair, and needs to be cared for. Liu Xipeng and others from the 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) and the Domestic Security Bureau extorted 16,000 yuan1 from her parents.

At around 6:00 p.m. the day after Ms. Qi was arrested, Chen Xin and Ma Zongtao from the Domestic Security Bureau, vice principal Lu Chenghong, director Liu Wei from the Lu Town No. 1 Elementary School and others searched Ms. Qi's house and her parents’ house. They then came to her parents’ home to harass them three times and threatened her parents that they would sentence Ms. Qi to three years in prison. Ms. Qi’s parents were eager to secure her release, so they gave director Liu Xipeng from the Domestic Security Bureau 4,000 yuan.

However, a month later, Ms. Qi was taken to the brainwashing centre in Linyi City by Chen Xin and Ma Zongtao to be further persecuted. Liu Xipeng told Ms. Qi’s parents that Ms. Qi would be released a month later if she gave up her belief in Falun Gong, otherwise she would be taken somewhere else for further persecution. On March 22nd, Director Liu Wei from the Lu Town No. 1 Elementary School called Ms. Qi’s parents and demanded that they pay 2,000 yuan to the brainwashing centre for Ms. Qi’s “tuition.” On March 23rd, when a member of Ms. Qi’s family and her school’s leader arrived at the brainwashing centre, the officials from the brainwashing centre ended up extorting 3,000 yuan from her family. That afternoon, a member of Ms. Qi’s family arrived at the school and asked Liu Wei to pass 500 yuan to Ms. Qi for her daily living expenses in the brainwashing centre. Later Liu Wei called Ms. Qi’s parents and told them that he had handed their 500 yuan to Lu Chenghong, who had already spent it all on lavish meals for himself.

During Ms. Qi's imprisonment, the officials from the brainwashing centre didn’t allow her family to visit her. However, on April 18th, Ms. Qi’s parents suddenly received a phone call from the brainwashing centre, asking them to visit their daughter. When they arrived at the brainwashing centre, the officials forced Ms. Qi to declare that she would give up her belief in Falun Gong in front of her parents. They also threatened Ms. Qi that she would be taken directly to another facility if she still practised Falun Gong after being released.

On the afternoon of April 21st, Lu Chenghong called Ms. Qi’s parents to demand 2,600 yuan again. Ms. Qi’s parents thought that their daughter would be released in three days, so there was no reason for her to need that much money. They made a phone call to Liu Xipeng. Liu deceived them and said that they had to offer the money because it was for Ms. Qi's bail.

On the afternoon of April 21st, Liu Xipeng extorted 3,000 yuan from Ms. Qi’s parents.

On the evening of April 23rd, Liu Xipeng informed Ms. Qi’s parents that she had been sentenced to re-education through forced labour in Jinan City.

After Ms. Qi was sentenced to re-education through forced labour, her parents requested Chen Xin return their daughter’s purse, which had been confiscated by the police when she was arrested. Chen Xin only returned Ms. Qi’s mobile phone, but not her money or keys.

It took a long time before Ms. Qi’s parents were informed that their daughter was taken to Wangcun Forced Labour Camp in Zibo City, Shandong Province. Ms. Qi’s father was devastated emotionally.

Before Ms. Qi was released from the forced labour camp, Liu Xipeng threatened Ms. Qi’s parents not to tell anyone about the money that they had extorted from them. He also intimidated her parents by saying that they would even arrest other members of the family if Ms. Qi still practised Falun Gong after being released.

Ms. Qi was brutally persecuted both physically and mentally during her imprisonment. However, Liu Xipeng and others from the Junan County 610 Office and the Domestic Security Bureau, along with Lu Chenghong, the school’s vice principal, and Liu Wei, the school’s director, regarded Ms. Qi as a hostage, and extorted over 16,000 yuan from her parents.

Note

1. "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.